SENATE RESOLUTION

                                                    1994-8692

By Senator Franklin

         WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency has recently published a report entitled Environmental Equity:  Reducing risk For All Communities and this report found that racial and ethnic minorities have a disproportionate degree of exposure to toxic emissions from waste facilities and other pollution sources; and

         WHEREAS, A 1987 report by the United Church of Christ's Commission for Racial Justice found that race was the most common characteristic of communities that are exposed to toxic waste and siting of waste facilities; and

         WHEREAS, The United States is the only western high-income country whose government does not collect mortality statistics by class indicators such as income, education, or occupation; and

         WHEREAS, President Clinton signed Executive Order 12898 on February 11, 1994, to identify and implement federal actions to address environmental justice in minority populations and low-income populations; and

         WHEREAS, Several states including Louisiana, Virginia, California, Georgia, New  York, North Carolina, and South Carolina have introduced or enacted legislation relating to environmental equity; and

         WHEREAS, Data relating to waste facilities, toxic chemical releases, and demographics is readily available and an analysis of this data will provide an important first step in identifying the distribution and impacts of pollution in the state;

         NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the department of ecology and the department of health shall jointly submit a report to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature by July 1, 1995, providing information on the distribution of reported toxic chemical releases and environmental facilities; and

         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That at a minimum, the report shall include a list of census tracts ranked in order by the number of permitted environmental facilities and by the amount of toxic chemicals released during the previous five years; and

         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the report shall include recommendations on further studies or actions that could be taken by the legislature or the departments of ecology and health to address environmental equity concerns; and

         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the report shall not apply to toxic chemical releases or environmental facilities associated with agricultural operations, including those that use, store, or dispose of pesticides or herbicides.